Banana Oat Muffins (gluten free, higher protein option)

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Banana Oat Muffins (gluten free, higher protein option)

Had it not been for a little friendly Instagram inspiration, this recipe for banana oat muffins wouldn’t have come about at all. I’m not a very good baker, and I don’t love baking as much as I do cooking, which means that it happens pretty rarely around here. As I was scrolling through the Insta the other day, though, I saw this image:

If you guys don’t follow Running on Veggies already on Instagram, you should! She has a ton of real food, whole ingredient recipes that are pretty, creative, and ideal for the veggie-obsessed athletes among us. Or the non-athletes like me, who just love to see pictures of pretty food! Most of her recipes are incredibly simple, especially her baked goods. Which may be why they always catch my eye. When I saw the muffins above, I noted that they didn’t demand any fancy flours or other baking materials. I had everything I needed for them: ripe bananas, oats, almond milk, baking soda, flax, applesauce. And since it was a Sunday, and I was feeling a little more inspired than usual, I decided to preheat my oven.

I modified the original recipe (which you can find here) a little. For one thing, I omitted maca and added some vanilla protein powder instead–about a scoop and a half, just for a boost. Protein powder doesn’t always work in baked goods, but I knew it would be fine in this sort of ultra-simple and forgiving recipe. I also added a little bit of melted coconut oil (the original recipe is very low fat because it’s intended as a pre-racing meal) and some raisins. The rest is about the same, and it turned out really well.

Obviously, the protein powder can be left out. In its place, you can use maca, as per the original recipe, or nothing at all. No matter what, these muffins make for perfect snack food or breakfast. I immediately enjoyed two of mine with a green smoothie. And Sunday morning was complete.

Big thanks to Running on Veggies for the inspiration! I’m always happy when I manage to put the bakers mitts on, and this was a worthy project. Enjoy the muffins, and I’ll be back soon.

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Hi Gena,
Do you think ground hemp seeds could replace the protein powder? I have heard that the fatty acids in hemp are best eaten raw, so perhaps that would be a bad idea (?) but for the added protein?
My blood sugar levels have been a bit out of whack lately, so that added protein hit would be awesome!
Thanks

These look delicious. I have been trying to avoid sugar recently but think I’ll give these a try with the protein powder. Do you know how much 1.5 scoops are in grams? I am thinking about 45 grams. Is that right?
Hope all’s well with you.
Kate

These look like my kind of muffin! I am not the best baker either- anything I bake gets meticulously planned and even still, my creations only work about half of the time. So I definitely appreciate a fairly forgiving recipe.

What kind of protein powder did you use? I only have hemp, & wondering if it would turn the muffins green-ish?

Also, as I mentioned to you before I got some maca powder, but I’m still not all that clear on it’s benefits & uses. Still trying to figure it out, I guess!

I love that you think you’re not a great baker. I feel the same, but more because I’m just lazy! I’d rather just throw a few ingredients together & call it a day. But I do love a good muffin or cookie recipe, especially for cold days, & there’s nothing quite so homey as something baking in the oven :).

I think hemp would be gritty here, Janae; in my experience, pea and rice protein work much better for baking.

Maca is supposedly helpful with hormone balance and energy. As for the latter claim, I do find it to be mildly stimulating. Re: the former, there’s not too much conclusive evidence, and the studies conducted thus far aren’t particularly rigorous, but there is at least a little suggestive information. I don’t know that it’s a “superfood,” but if you like the gentle energy, then it’s fun to throw in a smoothie every now and then. NBD.

This is the kind of baking I love to do. Nothing complicated, but delicious and full of wholesome ingredients that are mostly staples in my pantry already.
As soon as I replenish my banana and protein powder supply, I’m making these. I can imagine how delicious they are with almond butter.

Holy cow, I made some of these last night! Except I made the batter into a breakfast bake, and used more berries than bananas. I also swirled in some cinnamon on top of the batter: ) I love using apple butter (plain, no sugar added), instead of applesauce too. Such a rich flavor!:) Love it Gena!:)

These look so delicious – definitely on my ‘to make’ list. Do you just go by eye portion-wise with making a meal with these (i.e. 2 muffins and a smoothie)? I suck at eyeing out how much to eat without counting!

These came out quite nicely and are super filling. Fun fact: my boyfriend, who hates bananas*, tried one and said he couldn’t taste the banana at all. I’ll be returning to this recipe again! Thanks Gena!

* I know, it boggles the mind. To his credit, he’s a pretty adventurous eater otherwise.

Rolled oats are a cooked food. To make rolled oats oats are “steam-rolled.” They are steamed until they become soft enough to roll. The steam is 100 degrees C, equal to 212 degrees F, or more. Once they are rolled flat, they are dried. Broken pieces are separated out, and mixed with whole pieces that have been broken intentionally, and called “instant oats” or “one-minue” oats; whole pieces are called “old-fashioned rolled oats” or “5-minute oats.”

I don’t know why this recipe has such rave reviews, its really awful. I followed the recipe and even added extra spices (I was worried my protein powder would affect the flavor), but they came out like flavorless goo. I baked them for almost thirty minutes and they were still soft in the center. I ended up pitching the whole batch. I really wanted this to work, but I’m going back to my old non gluten free version and just modifying that. These muffins were a hideous wet mess. Also oats–not gluten free as the recipe title suggests.

I actually have to bake all of my gluten free stuff for waaaay longer than whatever the recipe says. I don’t know why especially since I have an oven thermometer so I know the temperature. These muffins have been baking for at least 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes you can put foil over them so they don’t burn on the top before they cook. Just keep sticking a knife in them until they come out relatively clean. Give it another try. These are great!!!

I made these last night and got a dozen. Even the raw batter is good. I noticed this morning that between last night and this morning, my husband had eaten 5 of them. (At least 2 last night and guessing he took 1-2 in his lunch.) Also, I used homemade chunky applesauce.
Not sure what the commenter above me did wrong to get goo but mine are like very moist banana bread. Also, oats are gluten free… especially if you use a certified gluten free oat like Bob’s Red Mill. 🙂

Hi, made the muffins today…delish, switched up the oatflour for cococut flour because i have so much of it! But they are so tasty! Thankyou for the recipe…just wondering, do you have a rough idea of calories for the muffins please?
Thanks

Hi there, really love this recipe (I am pregnant and always looking for quick/easy/healthy baked goods to munch on) and I am planning to try it out tonight. Quick question though, can I use 2 eggs in place of the flax seed? I really want to incorporate egg into the recipe for extra fat (and I just like eggs). Thanks!

As a breast-feeding mama looking to increase my supply I have been on the hunt for a clean oat muffin that is low in refined ingredients and high in protein; I followed the recipe for these using BodyLogix Natural Vanilla Bean Whey Protein and 2% milk instead of almond, and my 10 month old son ate a whole muffin warm out of the oven!

Not sure about the quantity though as following this recipe yielded 17 “average” sized muffins for me!